Top 10 Nintendo Wii Game OSTs [Best Recommendations]

Despite the fact that the Wii was somehow still getting new game releases right up until 2017, it feels safe to say that the Wii is pretty much dead. With the Switch out, that makes the Wii two generations old now. Nintendo has even gone so far as to shut off the online store for it not but a few months ago. No one is supporting the system anymore.

And yet, the Wii continues to persist, doesn’t it? You can still readily find Wii games at most major retailers, and as of the time of this article’s writing you can even find a Wii game or two in Amazon’s top 100 sellers list. It seems wrong to just pretend like the Wii isn’t still a force, and what a better way to remember it than some of the best OSTs on the system? After all, it wasn’t just the games that have stuck with us, but the music too. We thought it only appropriate to count down the top 10 Wii OSTs!

10. Metroid Prime 3

Legendary bounty hunter Samus Aran has been hired by the Galactic Federation along with several other bounty hunters to investigate the Aurora Units (supercomputers) that have just been discovered all throughout the galaxy. However, unsurprisingly, the notorious Space Pirates are just as curious about them, and attack the Galactic Federation’s Olympus battle ship to try and preempt their investigation. Samus flies off to the planet Norion to find the first one, and from there, she’ll actually be on her first intergalactic adventure to stop the Space Pirates and figure out what happened to her fellow bounty hunters!

Metroid Prime 3 brings back everything we love in a good sci-fi soundtrack. The synth riffs sound organically alien, as if this was music that could never actually be recorded with any instruments that we could find on Earth. This really sets the mood for when you explore each new alien world, and gives each new planet its own identity. We place it a little lower on this list because, frankly, Metroid has been excelling at this for some time now, so it’s a little unambitious, but it’s no less a fantastic Wii OST.

9. Sonic Colors

Has Dr. Eggman finally gone good? He claims he has anyway. To prove it, he’s opened up his own amusement park for the masses! Sonic doesn’t trust him for one minute, though, so he grabs Tails and heads out to the Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park (Eggman’s naming) out in space to check it out. Upon arriving, he rescues an alien named Yacker who confirms Sonic’s suspicions and that Eggman has actually enslaved his brethren to keep the park functional. Now, Sonic is going to have to stop Eggman’s schemes yet again!

Are you tired of the wannabe butt rock themes that pervade every new Sonic game that comes out? Sonic Colors was a return to form for the series, focusing on more melodic themes for each stage that evoke a classic style for the modern age. There’s so much energy bursting from each track; once you hear the Starlight Carnival theme, you’ll almost want to stop playing and go run around the city performing all sorts of sick parkour!

8. Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

It’s the original Legend of Zelda game! No, really! Skyward Sword takes place at the very beginning of the Zelda timeline, before humans had even inhabited the land. Instead, they lived up in the sky and traveled using giant birds. You’ll play as Link (of course), who’s still attending high school and has a bit of a crush on his classmate, Zelda. Fortunately for Link, Zelda seems pretty into him too, but the jealous Groose just keeps getting in Link’s way. However, there’s no time for bickering, as Zelda has been whisked away into a tornado, and now Link is going to have to be the first person to set foot on terra firma to find her!

Did you know that soaring main theme is actually Zelda’s Lullaby in reverse? Without going too much into detail, that’s actually a neat little touch to the overall theme of Skyward Sword. The music in general does so much to serve the overall theme of Skyward Sword -like the distinctly Chinese flavor in the theme that plays in Ancient Cistern to reflect the old Chinese proverb the dungeon is based on- that we felt the need to at least highlight Skyward Sword on our list. It’s also notable for being the first Zelda game having a full-fledged orchestra!

7. Rhythm Heaven Fever

The gameplay in Rhythm Heaven Fever couldn’t be simpler. All you have to do is tap along to the beat of the song, and you’re good! Of course, that “beat” is defined by whatever strange scenario you find yourself in, whether you’re a seal rolling in sync with other seals, a wrestler timing out his responses to a reporter, or a couple of monkeys working on their golf game. It’s wildly creative, and you’ll do your best to stay to the rhythm to perfect every song you can!

It would be strange if Rhythm Heaven Fever had a poor OST. After all, the entire point of the game is the music! But unlike other music games, where they play a song and you just play along with the beat, Rhythm Heaven Fever actually incorporates you into the music itself. You’re the one who’s performing, and therein lies the hook. And, frankly, it’s great that the music itself is so catchy! You’ll be humming the tunes to yourself for weeks after playing.

6. The Last Story

Lazulis Island: a gigantic, floating fortress headed by Count Arganan that doubles as its own nation. A mercenary named Dagran travels to Lazulis Island with his mercenary group with the hopes of possibly finding work. One of Dagran’s soldiers, Zael, saves a young woman who calls herself Lisa from the city guards, and the two quickly form a bond. What Zael doesn’t realize is that this Lisa is actually Lady Calista, and she’s trying to run away from her own wedding. Zael gets wrapped up into an international game of politics and may end up having to save the world as a result.

The Last Story was composed by none other than game composing legend Nobuo Uemastu, who lent his talents to Mistwalker due to his friendship with studio head and original Final Fantasy director Hironobu Sakaguchi. Here, Uematsu proves why he’s one of the all-time great video game composers, using his trademark combination of lush orchestral tracks and rock and roll to drive the atmosphere. Even more noteworthy are the various battle themes that can play throughout the course of a single battle, changing depending on how you’re doing. It really helps set the tone of the combat!

5. No More Heroes

Travis Touchdown was just your normal loser American otaku until he won a sweet beam saber on an online auction. Now he’s been approached with deal from the United Assassin’s Association (or the UAA) to take on 11 deadly assassins. If Travis manages to rise in the ranks, then he gets fame, wealth, and sex with the lovely promoter of the UAA, Sylvia Christel. However, there’s no backing down either, because the instant Travis stops killing, he’ll be targeted by the next wave of assassins who want their chance at the top!

Plenty of games can claim that they have a full-on orchestra these days, but how many can claim a full-on synth production? Masafumi Takada and Jun Fukuda’s techno rave tracks really capture the madness of the plot. It’s an otherworldly OST, delving straight into the worst of the human psyche and drilling right into it with very hard, noticeable beats. It strikes right into the heart of what No More Heroes is all about, and will haunt you long after you finish the game.

4. Kirby’s Epic Yarn

Look, Kirby was just hungry, alright? He didn’t know that tomato on the ground was sealing away the evil wizard Yin-Yarn. Now Kirby’s been sent to Patch Land, a world made up entirely of yarn, and is forced to fix this mess. He won’t be alone, though, as Prince Fluff is there to take this journey with Kirby. And he’ll need the help too, as Kirby doesn’t have his trademark abilities to inhale things and fly anymore!

Playing Kirby’s Epic Yarn is like a relaxing, jaunty stroll through the park. Naturally, the OST needed to reflect that! Kirby’s Epic Yarn is a rare title that forgoes traditional violins and brass horns to drive up the scale, and instead is composed with delightful woodwind instruments played alongside charming piano ditties. It’s a wonderfully relaxing OST to ease you into your work after a stressful day to help you get focused on your studies!

3. Super Smash Bros. Brawl

It’s all your favorite Nintendo characters squared up against one another! Mario vs. Pikachu! Samus vs. Link! Kirby vs. Donkey Kong! Any matchup between any of the 39 fighters is possible in Super Smash Bros. Brawl! If you don’t want to play with friends, give the Subspace Emissary story mode a shot, where you’ll fight against the invading interdimensional beings and keep your characters from getting turned into trophies!

Rather than selecting one game for this list, why not select them all? Super Smash Bros. Brawl has an almost embarrassing selection of your favorite Nintendo tunes packed in, with over 300 tracks in total! You’ll find both remixes of the most recognizable songs from Nintendo’s catalog as well as original rips of others. Better yet, you can even set the frequency in which they play with the incredibly handy My Music feature, giving you an unparalleled functionality in your music customization.

2. Xenoblade Chronicles

Shulk lives in Colony 9, a city located on the giant dead god creature known as the Bionis. Unfortunately, times are not terribly peaceful. They live in fear of the Mechon, a race of robots that are determined to hunt down humans at any cost. The Mechon manage to assault Colony 9 and ruin Shulk’s otherwise carefree life, and now Shulk is out for revenge. He and his best friend Reyn set off on an adventure that encompasses the entire world as they know it!

Xenoblade Chronicles is just about one of the biggest OSTs you’ll find on the Wii. Not in number of tracks, mind you, but just in terms of scale. Every track in Xenoblade Chronicles plays at the height of emotional intensity. The night time Colony 9 theme doesn’t just sound peaceful, but feels like a windswept valley that couldn’t even begin to understand what pain is. You Will Know Our Names, the iconic boss theme, isn’t just a simple battle, but a never-ending conflict where the souls of everyone involved are on the line at every single moment of the battle.

1. Super Mario Galaxy

Bowser’s captured Princess Peach again. But this isn’t your standard princess-napping. Oh no, Bowser’s abducted Peach and taken her where no one else could possibly reach her: space! Mario can jump, but not THAT high! However, he does get knocked into space when he attempts to stop Bowser. He finds himself on a strange observatory located deep within the galaxy. There, Mario meets Princess Rosalina, the woman who oversees the Grand Observatory, and tells Mario that she can send him to where Bowser is located, but he’ll need to collect the Power Stars all throughout the universe to get enough power to launch him!

The OST to Super Mario Galaxy isn’t just epic, it’s nearly revolutionary! Back when Super Mario Galaxy originally released, the thought of a dynamic orchestral soundtrack to a game was nearly unheard of. However, sound director Masafumi Kawamura managed to pull it off using a similar technique he had discovered with syncing MIDI tracks to sound effects in past GameCube efforts. All it required was to have the orchestra play the tune multiple times at different tempos and blend them together, resulting in not only an incredible composition,but one that’s fine tuned to your play!

Final Thoughts

Try to think of this list not just as a ranking, but also as a suggestion. We know we have missed plenty of fantastic Wii OSTs, as the library of games is absolutely enormous. But, please, if we missed your favorite, just let us know in the comments below! We’d love to hear from you!

Writer

Author: Matt Knodle

I come from Indiana, where I grew up near a video rental shop that proudly stated “The widest selection of anime in the state”, setting me on a course to enjoy as much anime as possible. I’ve devoted myself to over-analyzing various sports anime and video games probably more than they were ever intended. I currently co-host a weekly sports anime fan podcast called KoshienCast with my good friend, Matt.